Birdcage
by Seito
Summary: The hardest part about being a Pro-Hero is the knowledge that you can't save everyone. Toshinori has failed many times, but the one he remembers the most is a little girl with purple eyes and a bright smile. "I promised to take her home."


He hacked, coughing up blood and staining the ground beneath him a dark red. A fatal mistake, several actually. The battle against Sensei was not without cost and letting his anger about Nana's death cost him even more. Gingerly he touched his stomach, a gaping hole, knowing the organs had been obliterated beyond repair. It was only a matter of minutes before he bled out. He struggled to get to his feet, knowing Sensei was still alive and trying to escape. But it was hard to sit up when your abdominal muscles were gone.

Slowly a tiny hand reached out. Toshinori blinked, staring at the small girl with purple eyes. She couldn't have been older than eight, looking so out of place in Sensei's hideout. Her long golden brown hair fell like rivers, lips bitten raw, and dressed tattered yellow dress.

"Are you okay?" she whispered quietly.

Toshinori remembered his role, mustering up a smile. "Of course! Who are you, young lady?"

She frowned at his stomach. "Hotaru," she said, extending her hand over Toshinori's stomach.

Toshinori watched in amazement as a soft white glow engulfed his stomach. Skin and muscle stitched back together, the hole closing under the soft glow, and weight of what could only be his organs growing uncomfortably. He had never seen a recovery Quirk like this.

"I wanna go home," Hotaru whispered quietly, the white glow highlighting the fear in her purple eyes.

Toshinori smiled a wide smile. "Of course. I'll take you home," he promised. "Have no fear for I am here."

She looked at him as if he hung stars in the sky, eyes watering. "Okay," she said, glow growing brighter.

That was when shadows shoot out, wrapping around Hotaru's waist and pulled her away. She shrieked, eyes wide as she tried to grab hold of Toshinori's hand.

"No!" Toshinori shouted, reaching over after her. She slipped out of his grasp, disappearing into the shadows.

"Don't think you can take my little firefly," Sensei's voice rasped, bouncing off the walls and remaining unseen.

Toshinori struggled, pushing himself off the ground, trying to muster some, _any_ strength. He had promised! Promised to take her home! He wheezed, blood spattering to the ground, falling from his lips. The pain was overwhelming but still he pushed and pushed, crawling to where Hotaru had disappeared into the shadows.

"Toshinori! Don't move!"

Gran Torino appeared in his blurry vision, looking down in concern.

Toshinori reached out, gripping his mentor's shoulder. "The girl," he whispered. "He took the girl."

Gran nodded in understanding, barking orders. Hands lifted Toshinori as he watched Gran head into the darkness. Vision finally turning black, he can only hope Gran would be able to rescue her.

-.-.-.-

He didn't.

Toshinori blinked, crushing defeat weighing down on him. His body was shriveled, thin and wasted looking. Stark white bandages covered even inch and skin. His doctor's words ringing hollow in his ears.

" _Miracle that you didn't bleed out."_

" _We were able save a small portion of your organs."_

" _The damage was extensive but you just missed death by an inch."_

Toshinori breathed, chest rising and falling. He was alive only because of Hotaru. Whatever her healing Quirk was, more powerful than Recovery Girl's one, it had saved him.

And he failed her. Left her in the clutches of that monster.

"Here." Gran entered the hospital room, tossing Toshinori the folder. "Tell me if this her."

Toshinori opened the folder, heart clenching at the smiling face of a young girl with bright purple eyes and golden brown hair wearing a bright yellow sundress. It was such a different contrast to the fearful look, pale skin and frail looking girl he had seen in Sensei's hideout.

"This is her," Toshinori said quietly, pulling out the rest of her information.

Suzuki Hotaru

Age: 8

Quirk: Rebirth (tentative)

"She's been missing for about three months now. Best guess is someone grabbed her on her way home from school," Gran said. "They didn't finish testing the limitations of her Quirk before she disappeared. On the surface it looked like a normal healing Quirk, but one of the things she had done was recreate an amputee's missing finger. Healing only, completely biological."

"Sounds about right," Toshinori said, eyes falling shut. In the wake of that information, it was easy to see why Sensei had wanted her. She could heal any wound it sounded like. "I promised to take her home."

She had been so scared.

"Oh kid," Gran said wearily.

Failure never tasted so bitter.

-.-.-.-

Toshinori panted, the limit of his Quirk fading so terribly fast. He stared up at Sensei, looking exactly as he had six years ago. It had been risky to go up against Sensei again with his failing body, but when the Villain Alliance had taken Bakugou Katsuki, this was the slim window of opportunity to finally stop Sensei. But to find him in perfect health...

Toshinori left their fight with his abdominal section crushed and barely hanging on. He left that fight broken beyond repair, saved only by a kind girl's Quirk. Sensei on the other hand looked as fresh as he had years ago, the crippling damage Toshinori had dealt was gone.

"Still holding on," Sensei taunted, arms extended. "Look at you, how far you've fallen. Those sunken eyes, skeleton form, and hollow cheeks. You are weak."

"What did you do to her?" Toshinori asked. Hotaru's purple eyes flashing in his mind. Her Quirk had to be the reason why Sensei looked uninjured.

"My little firefly?" Sensei said. "Wouldn't you like to know," His arm swelled up. "Locomotive, corkscrew, explosiveness x 4, muscular enhancement x 3, multiplication, hypertrophy, rivet, airwalk, bonespear. The shockwaves up until now have been just to wear down your strength. Nothing lethal. But now, to make sure I kill you, with this combination of the strongest, most suitable Quirks that I have put together… I will strike you down."

Toshinori snarled, summoning deep for those embers.

A cruel smirk spread across Sensei's face. "Midoriya Izuku. He's the one you transferred it to, right? Without any qualifications, he still came here… it's as if he's not able to control himself. Let's make sure he dies feeling every bit of regret, All Might. Even as a sensei, it's your loss."

No. No. He couldn't save Hotaru. He didn't even know about Tomura's existence. He failed Nana over and over and over again. But, this, this he could not, would not fail in. He reached out, catching Sensei's fist, summoning all of his power into his free hand.

 _I WILL NOT DIE!_

"UNITED STATES OF SMASH!"

It was done.

-.-.-.-

Ten years was a long time.

If Toshinori was honest, he hadn't expected to live another ten years. Not after his final battle against Sensei. Tomura still remained an issue, gathering power like Sensei did and refusing any attempts of help, determined to follow in Sensei's footsteps as the next Underworld King.

His body was frail, pushed beyond its limits. The doctors issued warnings, told him to step back, which he did.

Deku had stepped forward.

"Hello my boy," Toshinori said as Izuku entered the room, shutting the door behind him. Ten years and his student had grown well into his successor. Izuku had taken to being a Pro-Hero like a duck to water, growing in a way far beyond what Toshinori had expected when he had picked him.

"I'm nervous," Izuku said, pulling at his lip. A nervous tick he never quite gotten rid of.

"It's alright to be," Toshinori said. "You've done well. Everything is prepared."

Ten years of hard work, uncovering hideout after hideout, chasing after Tomura's shadow. Finally it had paid off and they had discovered the heart. Tonight was the raid, countless Pro-Heroes and support staff on standby, many of them were Izuku's own classmates.

But as All Might's successor, it was Deku would be leading the charge.

"Izuku."

"Yes?"

Toshinori pulled out a worn photo, the same one Gran Torino had given him and handed it over to Izuku. "I do not know if she's still alive. She was more valuable alive, but Sensei might have taken her Quirk and kill her years ago. But if she is still alive, I failed to save her sixteen years ago."

Izuku gently took the photo, memorizing the smiling face. "What's her name?" he asked.

"Suzuki Hotaru," Toshinori said. "I promised to take her home."

Izuku nodded, tucking the photo into his uniform. "I'll find her," he promised.

"I hope you do." Hopefully, one of them would be able to keep their promises.

-.-.-.-

Izuku leaned against the wall, huffing and puffing. Sweat ran down his face as he closed his eyes to brace himself. His muscles ached, bones mostly likely cracked and exhaustion pressing down on him.

The raid had been a success. Thanks to the countless help and Izuku's methodical planning, they managed contain everyone. Izuku's own fight with Tomura had been a conflict of morals and philosophy, not unlike All Might and Sensei's fight years ago.

But Izuku emerged victorious.

Finally the aged old battle between All for One and One for All had come to a close. But Izuku had one more promise to fulfill. He pushed off the wall, reaching for the locked door.

The others were cleaning up and if anyone saw him they would force him to medical. But Izuku wanted to check, wanted to see for himself if the girl his mentor had told him about was being kept here.

The door swung open, revealing a plain white bedroom. A bed was pushed into a corner, an ensuite bathroom on the opposite wall. There, in the middle of the room, sat a young woman in a simple white dress. Her golden brown hair spilled like river, down her back, Her purple eyes stared blankly at the book in her hands. A thick iron manacle was locked around her ankle, chaining her to an iron ring in center of the room.

She blinked, realizing Izuku had entered. Her book closed, discarded as she approached Izuku. Izuku stared at her, feeling vaguely sick at how pale she looked, as if she hadn't seen the sun in years.

She extended a hand out, a white glow immediately wrapping around Izuku's body. He drew in a sharp breath, as the exhaustion fled, pain dulling and aches being erased. A healing Quirk! This was why Sensei and Tomura had wanted her.

"W-wait!" Izuku said, stopping her.

The white glow stopped, her head tilted to the side, questioning silently.

"I'm here to rescue you," Izuku said.

She stared at him blankly.

Izuku smiled widely at her. "Hotaru-san, right? Have no fear for I am here," he said, repeating All Might's catchphrase.

Her breath hitched, eyes widening. She gripped Izuku's arms, trembling as she patted him, unsure if he was really real, tears falling from her purple eyes.

Izuku's smile turned gentle. "I'll take you home."

* * *

 **daystar8** said This is just something I thought of this about how All Might acknowledges that he can't save everyone, I think he'd remember some of the people he couldn't save more than others, so Here's an AU idea (if you're still taking prompts) before Izuku, All Might wasn't able to save a Civilian who was being targeted bye AFO for something and years later Izuku is the one to Rescue them, they're a little broken and scared but Izuku saves them. Sorry if this is weird, thoughts on this?

Please leave a review on your way out.


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